After having long been considered one of the top American teenage forward prospects, Jack McInerney will strive to make significant transitions in his career in 2010 as he both begins his first professional season with the Philadelphia Union of MLS and also looks to become a leader on the US U20 national team.

In the weeks since the end of the United States' run at the Under-17 World Cup in Nigeria, rumors have circulated about the professional prospects of Luis Gil and Jack McInerney, two of the American's best players on the team.

The Americans have moved south from Kano to Ijebu-Ode for their final game of the group against the United Emirates, a feat more complicated than it sounds. Both teams had to endure a two hour plane flight, followed by a two hour busride to get to the southern city, a trip which, in predictable Nigerian fashion, will have eaten up most of the day Friday.